Descriptions

The Syrian civil war generated waves of refugees who flow into neighboring countries. These refugees have been creating excess supply of labor in host countries. This study involves a series of interviews in which respondents shared their perceptions of their involvement in the labor market in Iraq. These interviews provide a broad and in-depth explanation of why they became refugees, their desire to join the labor force, and their settlement preferences. The results of this study show that i) economic disintegration of Syria, unemployment, and compulsory military recruitment are significant push factors which explains the outflow of refugees from Syria; ii) Syrian refugees cited economic the well-being of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), treatment by locals, and the feeling of detachment from the host community due to their temporary status as the main barriers for participating in the host labor market. iii) A significant portion of the refugees in the camp is from the working class and currently unemployed individuals. These findings justify the decision to become a refugee, difficulties refugees face in participating the host labor market, and their motives to settle inside the refugee camp.